Generation X (1960-1980) and Generation Y (1970 to 1990) describe the demographic cohorts born before Generation Z. Generation Z are the babies of the digital and internet era, born between the 1980s and 2000.  Coincidentally, alongside Generation Y, the mid 70’s is also when marketing departments first started to take form within the corporate structure – previously in media and publishing organisations the main functions were editorial and sales.

Initially, marketing as a new discipline was not seen as a strategic function, it was seen as a support function to the others. This has typically led to the inheritance of the marketing function into the sales department as the closest related field, however over time and due to shifts in the business landscape, marketing has increased its remit and importance to earn its place at the board table as an independent, strategic function. These shifts include world-changing events such as the invention of the internet, the dot.com and social media booms, etc. They also include changes in the business landscape, such as increased competition, new revenue models, increased reach due to digital communication and payment, etc.

In context and in short, Generations X and Y created the concept of marketing in the 70s, but the foundations which were used to establish marketing as a strategic function in the last decade have been built and developed upon by Generation Z.

Marketing has become central to business

Generations X and Y created marketing as a support function focused primarily on branding and PR/communications. It is now much more than that – it is about being directly responsible for driving awareness, revenue and engagement in all areas. Above all it is also a central point within the business, involved in all operations from product development and sales to internal communications. With this responsibility comes the need to learn and develop a set of skills and tacit knowledge which allows ownership and purpose. We all know that marketing has now evolved several sub-functions, having dedicated specialists focusing on areas such as social media/communities, search, events, ecommerce and CRM to name a few. The remit of marketing has exploded in the last 10 years.

Digital natives are quick to learn new technology and tactics

Today’s marketing involves a mix of many skills – organisation, creativity, analytics, technicals, psychology -the list goes on. The areas we work in shift so dramatically in such a short time that in order to stay afloat and current we must continuously be learning and educating ourselves. Google could drop a new algorithm tomorrow and suddenly every marketing department scrambles to update their website to meet SEO standards. Marketing as a discipline is now so varied that in order to fully embrace and benefit from it as an organisation, leaders must acknowledge that Generation Z are best equipped to do this.

Heading up a marketing department and born in 1985, I am from Generation Z – I grew up using a remote control to work a VCR and playing a Commodore 64 with a joystick and one button. I was moderating an online forum, buying/selling on Ebay and using a mobile phone at 13 years old. In a world where innovation almost always involves something digital, Generation Z pick up new skills and abilities rapidly, due to the ability to inherently grasp technology and apply its functions - not just within marketing, but within life. We are digital natives. You only have to visit Youtube to find videos of toddlers nowadays using iPads like veterans.

Older generations of marketers must listen to their Generation Z team

Generation Z has therefore embraced the function of marketing in the digital era and we have made it our own. Many of the entrepreneurs who have changed the world with new media went to school with us.  For this reason, we also bring with us an innate understanding of how to apply technology to business. We don’t just blindly follow the traditional route of apprenticeship, learning to use business models and processes as our predecessors did - we innovate. Without this driving force for innovation, many businesses would fail and only a few would succeed at all.

However, many of today’s leaders (from Generations X and Y) are scared to let young marketers help them lead. Instead they opt to bring marketing under more seasoned leaders with say over 30 years experience, for instance a VP of marketing and sales. Or they try to micro-manage the function. They feel that with such little life experience a ‘Generation Z’er’ is too green to input at that level. This is incorrect. We have not inherited marketing – we have evolved and created marketing 2.0, by building experience of campaign execution and analysis to budget planning and top-level strategy. As such we have a more in-depth understanding of how marketing 2.0 works in all its forms and from the bottom-up, allowing us to more effectively manage those areas.

It is not a secret that being young and in a senior position is a challenge, no matter what your discipline is. Marketing however is possibly the newest strategic function to enter organisations and a hugely important one in today’s landscape as I alluded to earlier - as such this brings added pressure in terms of proving results, justifying purpose and asserting authority in areas which were previously managed by more established, traditional teams. Leaders today must embrace Generation Z and let them guide them through the digital era, as without this input they will be using the same old tactics in a new and changing environment, inevitably leading to stagnation.

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